It Was a Heck of a Run

...but one that came up just short of the goal for the People's Pigskin. We would like to congratulate the Fighting Amish for winning the People's League championship. It was a title that was hard-fought but richly deserved.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team fell this week by a score of 82-67.

The final overall score for the two-week championship was 171-144.
As promised, here is a look at the individual player results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 27 of 41 passing, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns and 18 fantasy points. Manning did his part both for fantasy football teams and for his Indianapolis Colts, who clinched the AFC South title and the conference's No. 3 playoff seed.
Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 67 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble and 10 fantasy points. The second red-zone fumble in as many games has to raise a red flag for the Atlanta Falcons, who nevertheless wrapped up home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Knowshon Moreno, RB: 6 rushes for 41 yards, 1 reception for 2 yards and 4 fantasy points. If the Broncos stick with Tim Tebow next season, his ability to call his own number will hurt the fantasy value of anyone sharing a backfield with him.
Dwayne Bowe, WR: 5 receptions, 68 yards and 6 fantasy points. It didn't help his fantasy cause that Bowe's quarterback was sacked 7 times. Regardless, Bowe ended the season as fantasy football's top receiver.
Kenny Britt, WR: 5 receptions, 85 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Britt got most of his points on a single throw from Kerry Collins -- before Collins forgot how to take a snap.
Calvin Johnson, Flex: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. Yes, Johnson was active for the Detroit Lions, but it seems that just because you're listed as "active" does not mean you will actually ... you know ... take the field. On behalf of fantasy football players everywhere, thanks for resting Megatron for the Pro Bowl, Detroit Lions.
Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 22 yards and 2 fantasy points. It wasn't a good season to be a top-notch tight end such as Antonio Gates (or Dallas Clark). Will the 2010 injuries shake up the 2011 tight end rankings? We'll find out in a few months.
Washington Redskins, D/ST: 1 interception, 17 points allowed and 3 fantasy points. The Shanahans clearly have a lot of work to do.
Olindo Mare, K: 3 for 3 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 10 fantasy points. It's safe to say Mare did at least as much as Charlie Whitehurst to get the Seattle Seahawks the NFC West title.
Again, we'd like to thank you, the Internet, for helping us get this far. This season provides strong evidence that the masses know at least as much as the "experts" about how to build a run a fantasy football team.
But don't take this blog off your reading list yet. Fantasy NASCAR will be here before we know it. In the interim, we have the playoffs, the Super Bowl and a season to review. We'll be back.

The People's Choice - Week 17

Championship Sunday is upon us, and once again we at the People's Pigskin must thank you, the Internet, for helping us pick a lineup. Here's who the Internet's favorite fantasy football team will field for the second half of the two-week People's League final against the Fighting Amish.
Quarterback: Peyton Manning has everything to play for today, so he gets the nod for the 16th time this season as he takes on the Tennessee Titans in the late afternoon.
Running back: Two backs split the vote. One was Michael Turner, who will play the Carolina Panthers. The other was Darren McFadden, who won't play anyone because he's inactive. In his place, we are turning to the other running back on our roster, Knowshon Moreno, who's questionable for the late afternoon game against the San Diego Chargers. If he can't go, we've got the next best thing: his backup, Correll Buckhalter, who will take his place in our lineup.
Wide receiver: This poll delivered two winners. Dwayne Bowe plays the Oakland Raiders, and Kenny Britt plays the Indianapolis Colts in the late afternoon.
Flex: For probably the first time all season, neither the running back poll nor the wide receiver one produced a third-place player, so we'll go to the fallback position of projected fantasy points. Calvin Johnson is expected to produce some, so he gets this spot. He plays the Minnesota Vikings.
Tight end: Once again, the winner of this poll was the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter. McMichael gets the start in a late afternoon game against the Denver Broncos, since Gates has been put on injured reserve. (We cut Gates to make room for Buckhalter on the Pigskin roster.)
There are no changes at kicker (Olindo Mare, playing Sunday night against the St. Louis Rams) or defense/special teams (the Washington Redskins, who will try to keep the New York Giants out of the playoffs).
Once again, thank you for helping to put us in this position. The poll results appear below, and a ridiculously premature Super Bowl poll is now available for your votes. Enjoy the games. We'll be back with the results.
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Championship Time, Baby!

With the help of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin is ready to compete for the People's League title.

Last week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to the Hudson Valley Hawks by a score of 82-73. However, the combined score from the two-week semifinal left us with a winning margin of 184-156. Here's a look at the week 15 results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 29 of 39 passing, 229 yards, 2 touchdowns and 17 fantasy points. Manning and his Indianapolis Colts kept their AFC South title hopes alive by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Michael Turner, RB: 25 rushes, 82 yards and 8 fantasy points. Turner was not his usual fantasy self, but his Atlanta Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks and clinched a playoff spot. Another win will clinch home-field advantage.

Darren McFadden, RB: 20 rushes for 119 yeards, 4 receptions for 39 yards, 1 fumble and 12 fantasy points. McFadden joined the 1,000-Yard Club on Sunday. He failed to do was cross the goal line, but plenty of teammates did that for him.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 10 receptions, 152 yards and 15 fantasy points. Megatron didn't find the end zone, either, but his Detroit Lions broke a 26-game road losing streak. And he's still pretty good.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 2 receptions, 53 yards and 5 fantasy points. At least it wasn't another donut. And his Kansas City Chiefs kept their AFC West title hopes alive.

Knowshon Moreno, Flex: 4 rushes for 5 yards, 1 reception for 1 yard and 0 fantasy points. Moreno left his game in the first quarter with a rib injury. His status for this week is still up in the air.

Randy McMichael, TE: 5 receptions, 55 yards and 5 fantasy points. McMichael, once again filling in for the injured Antonio Gates, helped the San Diego Chargers beat the San Francisco 49ers and keep their own playoff hopes from dying. He might even have helped Justin Smith get an early shower.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 4 sacks, 17 points allowed and 7 fantasy points. The Titans beat up on the Houston Texans, who were probably still feeling a hangover from their overtime loss in Baltimore the previous week.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 4 fantasy points. Mare's points were held down by the fact that the Seahawks went for 2 after a touchdown.

Bench: Jon Kitna, who can now stop looking over his shoulder at Tony Romo, scored 21 points, while Chad Henne scored 13. Kenny Britt had 12 points. Chad Ochocinco had 3, and Tony Moeaki had 2.

Now we must prepare for a two-week championship matchup against the formidable Fighting Amish. The lineup polls are now open and will close Sunday (or Saturday, if Jon Kitna can build up a lead in his poll; his Dallas Cowboys play Christmas night). The beverage poll is also still open, so feel free to vote in that one, too.

We'll be back with more football thoughts.

The People's Choice - Week 15

It's Sunday once again, so that must mean a lot of analysts are laughing too loudly at each other's jokes. It also means it's time for the People's Pigskin to set its lineup. And once again, thanks to you, the Internet, we have a lineup for the second half of our two-week People's League semifinal against the Hudson Valley Hawks.

Quarterback: Jon Kitna got some love, but not enough to unseat Peyton Manning. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars today.

Running back: Darren McFadden was the winner of this poll. He faces the Denver Broncos in a late afternoon game. The other votes were split evenly between Michael Turner (playing the Seattle Seahakws in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (playing McFadden's Oakland Raiders in the late afternoon). Turner will get the second running back start, while Moreno will stay in the flex spot...

Wide receiver: ...because all the votes in this poll were taken by two players: Calvin Johnson (who gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the St. Louis Rams).

No changes at kicker (Olindo Mare, facing Turner's Atlanta Falcons) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, facing the Houston Texans). And on Thursday, we played Randy McMichael, whose 5 points increased our lead over the Hawks to 116-74.

The poll results appear below, and we've put up a holiday-themed poll, so feel free to vote on it now. (We say "holiday-themed" because it's easier to fit into a poll headline than "Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's/Festivus/fantasy playoff-themed.") Enjoy the games.

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Consider This a Halftime Report

The People's Pigskin ended the first week of its two-week semifinal with a 111-74 lead over the Hudson Valley Hawks. With a repeat performance this week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team would have a shot at the People's League championship.

But first things first. It's time to tell you how we compiled that lead.

Peyton Manning, QB: 25 of 35 passing, 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 20 fantasy points. Most importantly, no interceptions, and his Indianapolis Colts still have plenty to play for.

Michael Turner, RB: 28 rushes for 112 yards, 1 reception for 12 yards, 3 touchdowns and 30 fantasy points. Turner beat the Carolina Panthers all by himself (not that it's a Herculean task or anything).

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 19 rushes for 81 yards, 5 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 17 fantasy points. Moreno was one of the few bright spots for the Denver Broncos this week. And you thought interim coaches could turn around any team.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 1 reception for 44 yards, 1 rush for 13 yards and 5 fantasy points. Normally, getting so few points from a player as talented as Megatron would be the low point of the Pigskin's week.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 1 reception, 3 yards and 0 fantasy points. And then there's this week. Bowe was shut out fantasy-wise for the second week in a row. We'll have to pray he doesn't make it three in a row.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 16 rushes for 123 yards, 3 receptions for 86 yards, 3 touchdowns and 38 fantasy points. McFadden was the top-scoring player in fantasy football this week. And he was nearly the hero for the Oakland Raiders -- until they forgot to tackle Maurice Jones-Drew.

Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 26 yards and 2 fantasy points. McMichael filled in for the injured Antonio Gates, and he was largely forgotten in San Diego's thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Olindo Mare, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. For fantasy kickers, one miss can be crucial (especially when that miss is your only field goal attempt of the day).

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 30 points allowed and minus-3 fantasy points. Peyton Manning's rebound came a week too early for the Titans.

Bench: Jon Kitna scored 15 points, while Chad Ochocinco scored 7. No one else got more than 2.

Now, we have to do it all over again this week. The Hawks can easily erase a 27-point lead, so we need your help picking our lineup. It starts with deciding whether to use the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter on Thursday night. That poll will take votes until Thursday, so please vote now.

We'll be back with a thought on football's all-star game.

The People's Choice - Week 14

Fortunately, Old Man Winter didn't wreak havoc on the People's Pigskin roster (or its stadiums), so we can simply thank you, the Internet, for helping us pick this week's lineup. We carry a 17-point lead against the Hudson Valley Hawks into Sunday's games. Remember, though, that this is a two-week matchup, so whoever leads Monday night won't necessarily be the one who advances to the People's League championship game.

Anyway, here are the choices for this week.

Running back: We had some strong choices in this poll, but you gave the starting spots to Michael Turner (who faces the Carolina Panthers) and Knowshon Moreno (who has a late afternoon date with the Arizona Cardinals).

Wide receiver: This one was simple; if you got votes in this poll, you're starting. If you didn't, you're not, no matter how well you can dance. Calvin Johnson plays against the Detroit Lions. Dwayne Bowe, whose appendix is just fine, plays the San Diego Chargers in a late afternoon game.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot goes to the running back who finished third in that poll (again): Darren McFadden. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tight end: This story should be familiar by now. You, the Internet, voted for the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter. Gates is questionable again, so we'll start him if he plays and bench him if he doesn't. Either way, we've got the tight end with a late afternoon game against the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll update this when the Chargers roster is finalized.

UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates has been ruled out for this game. McMichael will start in his place.

No change at kicker (Olindo Mare, who visits the San Francisco 49ers in the late afternoon). We already played our quarterback (Peyton Manning, who scored 20 points) and our defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who scored minus-3).

Now, it's time to start thinking about next week. The Chargers and 49ers meet on Thursday, so we have an early poll about Gates and McMichael. Feel free to vote now. This week's poll results appear below. Enjoy the games, and stay safe.

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A Regular-Season Title

Thanks to the helpful input of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin has made it to the top of the heap.

The Web's favorite fantasy football team defeated the t-bay cuervonatersXXL by a score of 96-75. While other People's League teams sweat out the Monday night game and hope for a playoff berth, the Pigskin has locked up a league-best 10-3 record and the top seed in the upcoming championship battle.

Here is how we got here.

Peyton Manning, QB: 36 of 48 passing, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 1 rush for minus-1 yard and 14 fantasy points. Manning is having the worst season of his career. He even earned one of two "Goats of the Week" awards from Peter King.

Michael Turner, RB: 24 rushes for 88 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Turner and the Atlanta Falcons keep rolling along. For Turner, that meant breaking the 1,000-yard barrier for the second time in his career.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 23 rushes for 161 yards, 1 reception for 14 yards and 17 fantasy points. His performance was strong enough to be the best for the Pigskin this week, but it wasn't strong enough to beat the Kansas City Chiefs or save Josh McDaniels' job.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 3 receptions, 66 yards, 1 touchdown and 16 fantasy points. It seems as if the Detroit Lions could line up this quarterback under center, and Johnson would be able to get the ball into the end zone.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. The Pigskin survived this misfire, but we'll need Bowe to reintroduce himself to his quarterback before the playoffs begin.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 19 rushes for 97 yards, 3 receptions for 30 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble and 16 fantasy points. McFadden and the rest of the Oakland Raiders ran over the San Diego Chargers, who are supposed to have a good defense.

Antonio Gates, TE: 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown and 13 fantasy points. Now, there's the Gates that fantasy players know and love.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 2 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points and 6 fantasy points. It's a fact of life for kickers; the better the day is going for your team, the worse it's going to be for your fantasy stats. After all, every time Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown, Mare is reduced to kicking an extra point.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, 17 points allowed and 4 fantasy points. These folks had better be able to recover quickly; they do face the Colts on Thursday.

Bench: Maybe all Chad Ochocinco needed was for someone to light a fire under him; he scored 9 fantasy points this week. Justin Forsett scored 6, while Chad Henne and Tony Moeaki scored 5 apiece.

We'll find out tomorrow who we'll be facing in a two-week semifinal. Until then, be sure to vote in the polls on your right. The waiver poll will close Tuesday night, and the others will close Thursday. Enjoy the game.

The People's Choice - Week 13

Thanks to everybody who voted on this week's lineup for the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team can wrap up the top spot in the People's League playoffs with a victory this weekend over the t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Here's who you selected to help us do that.

Quarterback: Once again, Peyton Manning dominated this poll. He starts a late afternoon game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Running back: The two top vote-getters in this poll were Michael Turner (who plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (who plays the Kansas City Chiefs).

Wide receiver: Only two receivers drew votes this week. Calvin Johnson faces the Chicago Bears, while Dwayne Bowe faces the Denver Broncos.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot will go to the running back who finished third in his poll: Darren McFadden. He has a late afternoon date with the San Diego Chargers.

Tight end: Speaking of the Chargers, their tag team won this week's poll. If Antonio Gates is active for the game against the Oakland Raiders, he gets the start. If he's not, Randy McMichael will get the start. We'll update this post when we have a resolution. UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates is listed as active for this game, so he'll get the start.

No changes in kicker (Olindo Mare, facing the Carolina Panthers in the late afternoon) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who face the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Thanks again for voting. The results appear below, and some new polls are now available for voting. The first one deals with replacing the injured Shaun Hill in our roster and will close Tuesday night. The other three deal with this week's Thursday night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Those will close before kickoff Thursday. Feel free to vote now, and enjoy the games.

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Overdue Updates (and Polls)

First of all, thanks for all your kind thoughts and words over the past few days. They were greatly appreciated. But now, we at the People's Pigskin have some updating to do.

We'll start with the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, which fell to the Hudson Valley Hawks by a score of 123-112. This lowers our record to 8-3 for the season. Here are the details.

Peyton Manning, QB: 38 of 52 passing, 396 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 25 fantasy points. Manning's last interception was also the last time he touched the ball in the Indianapolis Colts loss to the New England Patriots.

Michael Turner, RB: 28 rushes for 131 yards, 1 reception for minus-4 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 fantasy points. Like Manning, Turner contributed enough to keep the People's Pigskin in the ballgame.

Darren McFadden, RB: 10 rushes for 14 yards, 2 receptions for 16 yards and 2 fantasy points. McFadden did not.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 6 receptions, 46 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. Even when he's not having a big day, Johnson finds the end zone and saves his fantasy stats.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 touchdowns and 22 fantasy points. Bowe has inherited the "All He Does Is Catch Touchdowns" title from Cris Carter. They should have a ceremony.

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 3 receptions, 28 yards, 1 touchdown and 8 fantasy points. Ochocinco scored the first Bengals touchdown in a 49-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. After that, he was something he never is: quiet.

Randy McMichael, TE: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. Someone please remind Norv Turner that he still has a tight end available, and even though his name is not Antonio Gates, he's still an eligible receiver.

Olindo Mare, K: 4 for 4 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 15 fantasy points. Who would have thought we'd be singing the praises of a kicker in a fantasy blog?

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 3 sacks, 1 punt returned for a touchdown, 19 points allowed and 11 fantasy points. The defense held up much better than the quarterback in a 19-16 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Bench: Leaving Knowshon Moreno out of the starting lineup proved fatal. He scored 17 points. Vince Young scored 6 before his injury/meltdown, and Justin Forsett scored 4.

Now, we have some work to do and very little time to do it. The Pigskin faces the Chicago VinSethBears this week. We have two players with Thanksgiving Day games (Ochocinco and Johnson), and we have to get Vince Young off the roster. Four polls, including a Thanksgiving-themed one, are now available for voting and will close Thursday morning. Please vote now.

We'll be back with a final update on the People's Pitstop.

Another Victory (and Another Set of Polls)

The People's Pigskin bounced back from last week's defeat and beat the NFL2K10 RedZone by a score of 113-92, and we didn't even need Michael Vick's epic performance to do it. We just needed the help of you, the Internet, in selecting our lineup, and thanks to your help, we now lead the People's League with an 8-2 record. Here's the breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 20 of 36 passing, 185 yards and 7 fantasy points. Here's another example of the difference between real football and fantasy football. Manning had his worst fantasy day of the season, but his team still beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 39 yards and 3 fantasy points. Turner played a surprisingly small role in the Atlanta Falcons come-from-behind victory Thursday night.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 22 rushes for 106 yards, 3 receptions for 50 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 fantasy points. One benefit of being a running back on a team that's blowing out its opponent is that your team is likely to spend the second half running the ball.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 13 receptions, 186 yards, 2 touchdowns and 30 fantasy points. Of course, if you're a receiver on the other side of a blowout, you can expect to stay busy throughout the game as your team tries to come back. (Just don't expect the coaches to shake hands afterwards.)

Calvin Johnson, WR: 10 receptions, 128 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Johnson nearly helped the Detroit Lions keep the Buffalo Bills winless with his late score, but the 2-point conversion came up short, and the Lions earned the title "Unluckiest Team in History."

Chad Ochocinco, Flex: 7 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Mister Eight-Five hurt his shoulder but stayed in the game and even recovered a late onside kick.

Tony Moeaki, TE: 1 reception, 34 yards and 3 fantasy points. Thank goodness bye weeks are over.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 1 sack, 29 points allowed and minus-1 fantasy point. It's too bad ESPN doesn't award fantasy points for knocking quarterbacks out of the game. That's the one thing this team did well on Sunday.

Olindo Mare, K: 5 for 6 on field goals, 3 for 3 on PATs and 18 fantasy points. Seattle's uneven offense can create a lot of opportunities for a kicker.

Bench: Justin Forsett, who lost a tiebreaker for the flex spot, scored 15 fantasy points. Chad Henne put up 11 before leaving his game with an injury, and Vince Young scored 4 after relieving Kerry Collins.

Now it's time to turn our attention to this week's matchup against the Hudson Valley Hawks. The football lineup polls are now open. The one on Chad Henne (who -- fair warning -- may not even start for the Miami Dolphins) will close Thursday. The others will close on Sunday. Please vote now.

We'll be back with a look at NASCAR's final race of 2010.

The People's Choice - Week 10

The results are in. Here are the players that you, the Internet, selected for the People's Pigskin and its People's League fantasy football matchup against NFL2K10 RedZone.

Quarterback: It's not as if he needed help in the form of Chad Henne's benching or Vince Young's injury question, but once again, Peyton Manning won this poll handily. He gets the Cincinnati Bengals today.

Running back: We already played Michael Turner on Thursday night. The winner of the poll for the other running back spot was Knowshon Moreno, who's coming off a bye week and plays the Kansas City Chiefs in a late afternoon game.

Wide receiver: Two familiar faces dominated the voting in this poll. The starting spots go to Calvin Johnson (who faces the Buffalo Bills) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces Moreno's Denver Broncos).

As for the flex spot, we have a tie between Chad Ochocinco and Justin Forsett. We are using the ESPN points projection as a tiebreaker. Ochocino wins that by a score of 12-2. He goes up against Manning's Indianapolis Colts today.

Kicker: We have a winner, and, fortunately, we also have a backup plan. Josh Scobee won the poll but was picked up by a team with a worse record than the Pigskin. The runner-up in this poll was Olindo Mare, who's starting for us now and will face the Arizona Cardinals in a late afternoon game.

The Tennessee Titans defense/special teams (playing the Miami Dolphins) return to our starting lineup, and in an earlier poll, you voted to pick up Tony Moeaki to fill our bye-week-addled tight end spot. He gets the Broncos today.

Thank you very much for voting. The results appear below, and a quick poll about a certain well-traveled wide receiver is open for voting now. We'll be back with game/race results.

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Another Week, Another Victory

The magical run by the People's Pigskin continues. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat the nuckin' futs by a score of 100-79. Thanks to you, the Internet, we now enjoy a league-leading record of 7-1. Here's your scoring breakdown.

Peyton Manning, QB: 26 of 45 passing, 268 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 rushes for 3 yards and 18 fantasy points. Sometimes it almost seems too easy for Manning and whoever his teammates are this week.

Darren McFadden, RB: 21 rushes for 111 yards, 2 receptions for 24 yards and 13 fantasy points. All that was missing from McFadden's stats this week was a touchdown, but his teammates more than picked up the slack.

Justin Forsett, RB: 5 rushes for 11 yards, 3 receptions for 23 yards and 3 fantasy points. Forsett, on the other hand, is stuck on a team with an offensively bad offense.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 9 receptions, 101 yards, 3 touchdowns and 28 fantasy points. Clearly, Matthew Stafford knows where his proverbial bread is buttered.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 3 receptions for 16 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 rush for 4 yards and 7 fantasy points. Bowe's end zone catch saved his fantasy day.

Knowshon Moreno, Flex: 11 rushes for 40 yards, 4 receptions for 19 yards and 5 fantasy points. Who'd have thought Moreno would have to worry about losing goal line touches to a rookie quarterback?

Antonio Gates, TE: 5 receptions, 123 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. It's nice having the tight end who's leading the NFL in touchdown catches.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 1 sack, 1 safety, 1 punt block, 33 points allowed and 3 fantasy points. The San Diego Chargers special teams are the gift that keeps on giving.

Jason Hanson, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 5 fantasy points. Hanson did enough to remain on the People's Pigskin roster.

Bench: I don't know how you knew benching Kenny Britt would be a good idea, but you were right. Britt went down with a hamstring injury without scoring a single fantasy point. Vince Young, however, scored 18. Robert Meachem scored 7, Chad Henne scored 6, and Chad Ochocinco scored 3.

Now, it's time to set our lineup for this week's People's League showdown with the Fighting Amish. The defense/special teams poll will close tonight, while the other football polls (found just under the NASCAR ones) will close Sunday evening. Please vote now.

And speaking of votes, today is Election Day. Get to your polling place and cast your ballot. Yes, it matters. No, your excuse isn't good enough.

The Halloween poll results appear below.

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The People's Choice - Week 8

Hope you're ready for the NFL slate (and trick or treaters), because both are upon us. The People's Pigskin is ready, thanks to you, the Internet. You picked our lineup for our People's League matchup against the nuckin' futs. Here are the results.

Quarterback. Another week, another start for Peyton Manning. He gets the Houston Texans on Monday night.

Running back. The two top vote-getters in this poll were Darren McFadden and Justin Forsett. You won't need to wear out your remote control following them: McFadden's Oakland Raiders take on Forsett's Seattle Seahawks.

Wide receiver. Two players dominated this poll: Calvin Johnson (who faces the Washington Redskins) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the Buffalo Bills).

Flex. In a mild upset, Knowshon Moreno got more votes than Kenny Britt, so Moreno gets the start against the San Francisco 49ers in London.

No changes at either tight end (Antonio Gates vs. the Tennessee Titans) or defense/special teams (the aforementioned Titans vs. Gates' San Diego Chargers). And earlier in the week, you voted to pick up Jason Hanson to be our kicker. He faces the Redskins today.

Thanks again for voting in the lineup polls, as well as our poll about the National Football League's best team. The results appear below. A quick Halloween-related poll is now open for voting.

We'll be back with some results.

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Another Week, Another Win (and More Polls)

If you're a fantasy football fan, give yourself a pat on the back. You helped steer the People's Pigskin to another victory.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat cowboys romero by a score of 97-70. This lifts the Pigskin to a season record of 5-1, the best in the People's League.

Let's break down this victory.

Peyton Manning, QB: 25 of 38 passing, 307 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 rush for minus-1 yard, 1 fumble lost and 18 fantasy points. That total could have been better (the ESPN "experts" had projected 27 points for Manning), but it also could have been far worse, since the Washington Redskins dropped three would-be interceptions. Now, Manning faces a foe he can't defeat with film study: a bye week.

Michael Turner, RB: 15 rushes for 45 yards, 1 reception for 4 yards and 4 fantasy points. It was a day to forget for Turner and most of his fellow Atlanta Falcons, who made Kevin Kolb look like the next Peyton Manning.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 12 rushes for 48 yards, 1 fumble lost and 2 fantasy points. Moreno was a last-minute replacement for the injured Darren McFadden, so any points he produced felt like a bonus.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 5 receptions, 146 yards, 1 touchdown and 20 fantasy points. That's more like it, even if Johnson did most of his damage on an 87-yard catch-and-run. Unfortunately, he will take that momentum straight into a bye week.

Kenny Britt, WR: 2 receptions, 33 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points. It's a good thing Britt scored when he did, because he seemed to disappear when Vince Young left Monday night's game.

Dwayne Bowe, Flex: 6 receptions, 108 yards, 2 touchdowns and 22 fantasy points. Bowe was one of the brightest stars in all of fantasy football this week.

Antonio Gates, TE: 2 receptions, 12 yards and 1 fantasy point. Gates left the game early with a toe injury. The San Diego Chargers are saying they are optimistic Gates will play this week. However, his health obviously should be monitored.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 2 sacks, 3 points allowed and 17 fantasy points. The Titans had about a strong a night as a defense/special team can ever expect. They were the reason the Monday night game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was never really a contest.

Matt Bryant, K: 1 for 2 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 4 fantasy points. He didn't save us, but he didn't kill us, either.

Bench. The Pigskin got double-digit performances from Chad Henne (15 points), Robert Meachem (13) and Justin Forsett (12). Young scored 6 before leaving the game, and Kevin Smith scored 1.

Now, it's time to prepare for this week's People's League matchup against the mysterious Team Z. The polls are open (below the fantasy NASCAR ones) and will close Sunday morning. Remember that both Manning and Johnson have bye weeks, so your votes will play a critical role in setting our lineup. If you have any thoughts about any other changes we can make, hit the "Leave a Comment" button at the bottom of this post and let use know what you think.

We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.

The Draft Results Are In

It's not quite as momentous or historic an event as, say, the invention of the Big Mac, but it's a moment of pride nonetheless.

The People's Pigskin has completed its second annual draft, and as a result, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team has a fairly strong lineup to test the theory that the masses can do just as well as the "experts" in running a fantasy team. Here are the round-by-round results.

Round 1. The People's Pigskin drew the ninth spot out of 10 teams, and all six of the players selected in the who should top our draft board polls were taken in the first seven picks. We responded by taking the best player left, Michael Turner. No truly shocking picks, except Tony Romo's pick at No. 10 overall.

Round 2. One of the side effects of picking 9th in a 10-team draft is picking again three picks later. Drew Brees didn't make it to this round, so we took the second-rated quarterback on our board, Peyton Manning. And a few weeks ago, you would have won a few bets if you guessed that someone would pick Arian Foster in the second round of a fantasy draft.

Round 3. Time to get a receiver, but none of our top four receivers made it this far. (Brandon Marshall almost did.) We took Calvin Johnson.

Round 4. Again, a quick turnaround. We took Knowshon Moreno, the winner of this year's T.J. Houshmandzadeh award for "player whose name the people who run this blog will be able to spell in their sleep by Halloween."

Round 5. Dallas Clark continued his habit of coming off the draft board ridiculously early (in the fourth round, along with Vernon Davis), but we got the tight end who was ranked second on our board, Antonio Gates.

Round 6. Time to get a second receiver. We went with Chad Ochocinco, who, despite his ongoing love affair with himself, manages to put up solid numbers season after season.

Round 7. This round saw a run of tight ends, but we were able to avoid it by taking Dwayne Bowe.

Round 8. Time to get Turner and Moreno a backup. We went with Justin Forsett, since his numbers won't go south if Matt Hasselbeck still have a gimpy back. (By the way, this was the round where the first defense/special teams, the New York Jets, was selected.)

Round 9. Since the Jets escaped our grasp, we went with the next-best option, according to our draft board, the Minnesota Vikings. They went eight picks after NFL2K10 RedZone took the first kicker, Nate Kaeding. And you probably already know what I would say here, so let's just move on.

Round 10. Time for another receiver. We went with Robert Meachem.

Round 11. We missed out on our chance to get Donovan McNabb as our backup QB, so we picked Chad Henne instead.

Round 12. Three more kickers found homes in this round, but we selected Kenny Britt as a backup receiver.

Round 13. Santonio Holmes did not make it down to us in this round, so we grabbed a third QB in Vince Young.

Round 14. We rounded out our running game with Darren McFadden, while two other players drafted kickers, including NFL2K10 RedZone, who made David Akers his backup kicker. Or something.

Round 15. The boneheaded move of the night goes to the People's Pigskin, which forgot about Montario Hardesty's injury and drafted him. Just goes to show that you don't need to have any intelligence to write about fantasy football. (Don't worry; we already have a waiver claim on Kevin Smith to take his spot.)

Round 16. Four teams waited until this round to draft a kicker, including the People's Pigskin, which selected Jeff Reed.

What do you think of our lineup? Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the football lineup polls are open. Most of them will stay open until Sunday morning. The one about the Vikings defense/special teams will close Thursday, since the Vikings play the New Orleans Saints in the season opener. Feel free to vote now.